Nice Things Said

Back Cover Blurb

Erdogan began, "Imagine a murder. The perpetrator's accomplice is in our lock-up. He's fully aware he only helped to pull off the job, but he can't give us any info on the principal perp. He really doesn't know anything about him. He can vaguely describe the killer's physical appearance, but there are millions all over the country who fit that description."

Batur took a deep breath and a sip of his drink. "I have a double homicide and a suspect who has confessed to one of them. The other murder was committed by one of the victims. It's similar to Erdogan's problem, in that I have an accomplice who was forced to provide the killer with entry into the victim's home."

After a thoughtful silence, Harun said, "Do you realize these cases have certain similarities? And I have a case that's also a lot like them.

"First, the motive for all the murders is unclear. Second, the murders occurred between 11-12 midnight on February 9, 2005. Third, all three of the victims lived in Castletop from 195862."

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Another of Cuneyt Ulsever's cleverly woven "whodunits," solved by his popular "gang of three," The Murders at Castletop is the story of the tragic childhood of a fabulously rich Turkish businessman and how he got even. . . .

Police Captain Harun Deniz has his suspicions. Three very shady characters have been murdered almost simultaneously. They have too many things in common to be coincidental. One clue rings loud and clearthey all lived in Castletop all those years ago.

Will the antiquated brother and sister provide that tiny spark of information that will bring focus to the investigation? After all, they know everything about everyone who lived in Castletop for the past eighty years. And the things they know . . .

Cuneyt Ulsever was born in Ankara, Turkey and grew up in Istanbul. After an extensive education in Turkey, he completed a master's degree in International Relations at John Hopkins University and a master's degree in Economy from Columbia University. From there he went onto Harvard University and earned a doctorate in Human Resources.

After completing his education, Ulsever returned to Turkey, where he became a political commentator in newspapers and on television. He also began writing novels, often with a political twist.

Ulsever lives in Istanbul, Turkey where he works as a writer and political commentator. In his line of work he is privy to stories of the plight of the "underdogs" of Turkish society and how they live, love, struggle, and die far beneath the radar of the law.

The Murders at Castletop opens on a regular day of a simple laborer, a "plain Joe," detailing his meager pleasures and painting a picture of his neighborhood and home. Such an unimportant man, but then he is murdered and the job is done with such meticulous attention to detail that no one can understand why he was even targeted. Two almost identical murders are committed almost simultaneously in two other major Turkish cities. The similarities are too striking to be coincidental. Finally the web starts to unravel, when two extremely elderly residents of Castletop, Istanbul begin to remember.

The things they remember provide the unbelievable "who" and the horrible "why" which complete this tragic tale, which leads us down the darkest and ugliest alleys of the human condition.

Foremost Press gratefully acknowledges the generous contribution of The Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkey to the translation of this book.

The Murders of Castletop was published by Foremost Press. It can be ordered at ForemostPress.com and Amazon. ISBN-10: 1-936154-64-1
ISBN-13: 978-1-936154-64-7
298 pp, $15.97